Gabe has his wisdom teeth removed

On Friday, April 23rd, Gabe and I headed out early in the morning for his wisdom teeth to be extracted. 

They were impacted and slanted toward the molars and would never break through on their own. He suggested we have them removed sooner rather than later so that they would not affect the work we had done with his braces. Gabe has a tendency to freak out about things like shots, surgeries and injuries, but he was really brave and didn't get too worked up about this! 

The ride home was HILARIOUS!! Before the procedure I had asked him to at least entertain me on the way home. He did NOT disappoint! He was so confused and chatty! I handed him my phone and HE actually video recorded the entire ride home. If you are reading this on email, click to go online to view the video below:

(Don't worry - he gave me permission to post this video.)

Some other funny things that I didn't have on video:

1. He looked in the mirror and said, "Huh, no swelling. I've still got it!"

He overheard me on the phone with Byron telling him that I was about to take Gabe to Whataburger for a shake. He enthusiastically said, "Whataburger! I LOVE Whataburger!"

I told him that I was surprised that he was trying to talk so much with the gauze in his mouth. His response was, "Well how else am I supposed to communicate!?!"

By the time we picked up his medicine and arrived home, his medicine had worn off and his brain wasn't as foggy. By that evening he was feeling pretty good. 

On Saturday and Sunday his cheeks were pretty swollen. 

It has been a week since the procedure and he has recovered so well! He is still eating mainly soft food, but is close to having a normal diet. His cheeks are not swollen anymore and he is feeling great!

 

Obligatory Bluebonnet Pictures

In Texas it is obligatory for one to find a bluebonnet field and make one's children sit and smile for a picture in it. The more north one is, the harder it is to find such a field. 

Last year I found a field in Denton County!! It was in a cemetery not far from our house! 

This year the cemetery owners must have gotten tired of the constant stream of traffic to visit the flowers (not the inhabitants) and they locked the gate. We were forced to be content with pictures at the gate instead of inside the glorious field of bluebonnets.

 2021 Bluebonnet pictures. CHECK!

The Fort Worth Apartment

After exploring the Botanic Garden we took a trip down memory lane and visited our old apartment complex. 

Nearly everyday while we lived there we would take a walk down the paths and the kids would climb this beautiful tree. 

2011:

2011:

2021:

2011:

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

On April 17, 2021 we drove down to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

It was a cloudy and chilly day - unusual for mid-April in Texas. 

There were beautiful animal topiaries scattered through the park.

The bees were certainly busy pollenating the flowers. 

We fed the fish, the ducks and the turtles, including this HUGE alligator snapping turtle. 

The Botanic Gardens were free until a few years ago, but there was an admission price for the Japanese Tea Garden. Now there is an entry fee for the gardens, but the Japanese Tea Garden is included in the price. It was breathtaking!

Our monkeys:

This little guy was really enjoying his nut!

What a beautiful garden!!